Confectionery-safe



" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN SHALER, OF MADISON, CONNECTICUT.

CONFECTIONERY-SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,764. dated July 12, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BEUBEN SHALER, of Madison, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Confectionery-Safes, the construction and operation of which I have described in the followingl specification and illustrated in its accompanying drawings with sufficient clearness to enable competent and skilful workmen in the arts to which it pertains or is most nearly allied to make and use my invention.

My said invention consists in, first, so constructing the sides of my safe that they will fit into a groove formed by two parallel flanges on the bottom of the safe, the said groove being filled with india rubber, or any other suitable elastic substances; in combination with a number of hooks or catches hung or attached to the bottom of the said safe, which can be hooked onto a flange projecting from the side of the safe, the said flange being formed by soldering a piece of strong wire around the sides of the safe so as to encompass it in the manner of a belt, the action of the hooks upon the flange being such as to press the lower edge of the side on to the elastic substance before mentioned, and thereby preventing the access of air from the outside, as hereinafter more fully set forth; second, constructing the sides and top of the safe in one piece, by which I am enabled to leave the space around the shelves open by supporting the shelves upon uprights opposite to each other, in consequence of which method of support I can slide upon the shelves, or into the spaces between them, dishes containing confectionery or other condiments, and remove them again with equal ease when required, without being under the necessity of removing an upper shelf for the purpose of getting at what may be deposited upon a lower one, as hereinafter more fully described.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows :--Figure 1, is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the lid and sides in position. Fig. 3 is a plan of the bottom with the lid removed. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation showing the lid and sides in position. Fig. 5 is an elevation with the lid and sides removed.

On the bottom A of my confectionery safe I construct two parallel ianges a, c, projecting upward at right angles to its surface, and running continuously around it so as to form a groove between them, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4L, the flangesv being so positioned that the outer one a will stand a short distance in from the outer edge of the bottom so as to leave a narrow margin all around. Into the space formed by these flanges a., a', I insert a ring made of india rubber or any other suitable elastic substance, which I press in tightly, so as not to be in danger of working out. I then prepare a number of hooks or catches B, made of strong tin, or of any other suitable material, of the form shown upon the drawing or of any other form that may be deemed more efficient, each hook being so constructed as to turn upon an axis of motion c which said aXes of motion I attach, by soldering or otherwise, to the outside of the outer flange a, and in such a manner that the hooks or catches may be turned up against the sides when the latter are placed in position. Perhaps the most convenientposition for these axes of motion c will be in the angle formed by the outer fiange with the bottom, as shown upon the drawings.

I form the lid I) and sides E of my safe in one piece as shown in Fig. 1l, and of such dimensions as to fit in between the flanges a, a on the bottom, and I also form a flange H on the side, and quite surrounding it, by soldering or otherwise attaching to it a piece of strong wire, at such a height from the bottom that when the sides are placed in posit-ion upon the elastic substance Z2 between the flanges c, a', the ends of the hooks B may be turned up so as to catch upon the flange H on the sides, and by that means press the lower edge of the sides firmly down upon the elastic ring Z) and thereby effectually exclude the external air.

The interior of the safe is partitioned off and shelved in the manner that may best serve the particular purpose for which it is intended, the shelving F being supported upon uprights G diametrically opposite to each other as shown upon the drawings; or upon partitions when it is deemed advisable to have them.

The advantage attending this construction of safe is, that the access of the external air to the inside of the safe is prevented in consequence of the sides being firmly pressed down upon the india rubber or elastic ring b, by the hooks or catches B acting on the flange H, and the liability of the contents to undergo the chemical changes necessary between the shelves are available for sliding dishes containing confectionery between or on the said shelves and removing them again without being 'under the necessity of lifting any of the upper shelves for the purpose of getting at what is placed upon any of the lower ones. A further and very great advantage attending this safe is the simplicity of its construction and the cheapness of the materials of which it may be made; it may be made by any common tinsmith, and the materials used in making one for common purposes need only be strong tin and wire. It is also evident that by increasing the dimensions of the safe,l and also increasing proportionally the number of the hooks or catches B, it may be constructed of such dimensions as to be used as a safe for the preservation of provisions, the principle of the non-circulation of air operating in this case as in the other, to produce the same effect. It may also be madel square or polygonal, should such form be preferred to the circular.

I claim- The confectionery safe above described, constructed substantially as specified, as a new and useful article of manufacture.

REUBEN SHALER. i 

